Best Dog Food for Mastiffs: Get the Right One

Do you own a mastiff dog? This is actually one of the world’s most ancient dog breeds and dates back five millennia to the molossus. It might be surprising that the ancient war dog has evolved into today’s friendly pooch.

Some popular Mastiff breeds include American, English, French, Brazilian, and Bullmastiff.

Having enough space to accommodate this huge dog is one thing, but knowing what the best dog food for mastiffs is may still be a burning question.

We’ll help you achieve that goal. That includes the key features and downsides of food for adult, puppy, and senior Mastiffs.

You’ll also need to know what to look for in your Mastiff dog food including must-have ingredients and ones you should avoid.

You’ll also need some basic info about how to feed the giant dog breed.

What are their nutritional requirements? How much should you feed the dogs? How often should you feed them?

The answer to these questions will help to ensure your Mastiff is getting the right type and quantity of food at the right time.

Cons

Summary

This natural dry dog food is for large breeds. It provides completed/balanced nutrition.

It’s all-natural, protein-focused, and grain-free with protein sources like chicken and turkey, and 80% more meat vs. traditional dog foods. It also contains chondroitin and glucosamine.

This dog food contains vitamins/minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, and omega 3/6 also contains no fillers like corn, wheat, and soy. It also has no artificial flavors/colors/preservatives or meat by-products.

Cons

Best Dog Food for Senior Mastiffs

Summary

This best dog food for english mastiff is formulated for large dog breeds. It’s made with fresh chicken and whole grains, so it’s a good protein source.

It contains all-natural ingredients with no artificial colors/flavors/preservatives or GMOs. It also no fillers like corn, soy, wheat, and meat by-products. It’s grain-free so safe for dogs with food allergies.

Best Dog Food for Mastiffs with Medical/Sensitivity Issues

Summary

This Natural Balance product is a 28-lb. bag of limited-ingredient dry dog food. It encourages large breeds to eat slower and chew properly to promote clean teeth/healthy gums.

This best puppy food for mastiffs is a natural dog food with ingredients like:

Lamb

Brown rice

Canola oil

Tomatoes

Yeast

It contains no artificial colors/flavors/preservatives. It includes min. 21% protein and omega 3, fat, calcium, and phosphorus.

Pros

Natural ingredients

Good for clean teeth/healthy gums

Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants

High-quality protein

No artificial colors/flavors

Cons

Might include bad batch

Formula changed

Might cause digestion problems

Buying Guide

When picking mastiff dog food, there are some features to consider and below are the following:

Protein

This is the most important nutrient when picking a dog food. Make sure it includes a high percentage of meat protein. It’s also best if the protein is from fresh meat vs. by-products, for example.

Various protein sources are available including chicken, beef, fish, lamb, and duck. In general, you should look for 2+ protein sources since this will provide a wider range of amino acids.

Nutrients

Your Mastiff’s dog food should be well-balanced, so it provides your puppy, adult, or senior dog with all the nutrients required. Here are some of the main ones to look for:

Vitamins/Minerals

Enzymes

Protein

Probiotics

Antioxidants

Omega-3/6 fatty acids

When the food’s ingredients are natural/fresh, they’re more likely to be nutrient-rich. Meanwhile, if you pick dog foods with highly-processed ingredients, the opposite will be true.

Age-specific

Some dog foods are specifically designed for puppy, adult, or senior dogs. This is important because dogs of different ages have different nutritional needs.

For example, puppies and seniors need a high-protein diet for different reasons.

Other dog foods are OK for dogs of all ages. If you want to avoid switching to different products, this is a good option since it will provide more convenience.

Brand

In general, you should go with well-established companies like Purina because these companies provide better overall quality.

If you select an off/generic brand a.k.a. cheap dog food, you’re more likely to experience issues in terms of quality and service.

Size

Mastiffs are considered a Large/Giant breed so even puppies can have a hearty appetite. This is something to consider since a 25-lb. bag won’t last long when your 100-lb. dog eats 3 meals/day.

If you want to save money, you should spend more on larger bags of dog food. This will save you money in the long run.

Guarantee

Sometimes satisfaction guarantees are available for dog foods. This is a good option if you’re trying out a new food since there’s a chance your Mastiff might not like the new food for whatever reason.

If that’s the case, you’ll likely have the option to return the unused food for a full refund.

Price

The best dog food for mastiffs will likely be more expensive. Price tags are related to factors like the brand, quality and ingredients.

Limited-ingredient

If your dog has any food-related health issues, then you should consider a limited-ingredient product. This will help to minimize health issues since the number of ingredients is limited.

How limited are these dog foods?

They usually have one protein source and one grain source. They also contain ingredients that help to avoid common food allergies among dogs.

This helps to minimize the chance of your dog getting sick after eating the food.

The problem with “cheap” dog food is it’s also made from cheaper ingredients.

When feeding puppy/senior Mastiffs make sure not to drop the food’s protein content but instead reduce the quantity of food. This can help to keep your dog healthy.

Common Health Issues of Mastiffs

When picking the best dry dog food for english mastiff, you should be aware of some common health problems faced by Mastiffs. Here are some of them:

Hip/Elbow Dysplasia

Elbow/hip dysplasia are common among Mastiffs. Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is a condition that starts in older dogs and causes a loose/unstable hip joint. This can result in more serious problems like arthritis.

A malformed elbow joint can cause problems like osteoarthritis and joint inflammation. It’s important to make sure your dog is getting proper nutrition to prevent problems like elbow/hip dysplasia.

Lifespan

The Mastiff isn’t long-lived like other giant breeds, and its average lifespan is 9-10 years.

This is in part due to the Mastiff’s large size/weight that can put strain on the joints. It can also suffer from other problems related to ligaments, cervical spine, and neck.

Eye Diseases

The gentle giants can suffer from various types of eye diseases. These include:

Eyelid issues

Corneal dystrophy

Retinal dysplasia

Cherry eye

Progressive retinal atrophy

Other Problems

Mastiffs are prone to other health issues common among canines including:

Skin conditions (around face/neck)

Urinary tract infections

Epilepsy

Urinary diseases

It’s important to note that just because you own a Mastiff doesn’t mean they’ll acquire all of the above-mentioned conditions.

In fact, you can reduce their risks by making sure they eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. This is especially important among senior dogs since they’re more prone to health issues.

Must-have Ingredients

When picking the best dog food for Bullmastiff, it’s critical to make sure to check for certain ingredients. They include:

Protein

Protein and fat are highly important for Mastiff dogs and especially for puppies/seniors. It’s important to reduce the dog’s quantity of food before its protein content.

Another issue is it’s important to pick the ‘right” sources of protein and fat.

For example, make sure the protein sources are high-quality and fresh. Chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, lamb, and duck are some of the common protein sources.

It’s better to look for dog food with 2-3 protein sources.

This is because different protein sources have different amino acids so you’ll dog will get more nutrients from multiple types of protein.

Watch out for ingredients like meat by-products. This is basically “mystery meat” and can cause a lot of health issues for your dog.

Fat

It’s best when the fat is from healthy sources like chicken fat or fish oil since these are “good” fats and include nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids for healthy skin/coat.

This can help to maintain good eye/brain health.

Senior dogs seem to benefit from medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). They’re typically made from a combination of various oils like coconut oil.

Grains

Many no-grain dog foods are on the market, but there’s some debate about whether or not you should automatically pick such products.

If your dog has any allergies to grains, then you should definitely avoid products with those ingredients.

That said, it’s natural for dogs to eat grains and fruits/veggies before meat. What’s important is the quality of the grains.

Sources like brown rice and oatmeal are good options because these are minimally processed options.

Make sure to avoid foods that have grain fillers.

These tend to be highly-processed grains that are just used to reduce the food’s manufacturing costs.

Fruits/Vegetables

This should be a relatively small amount of your dog’s diets, but they still can get a wide range of vitamins/minerals/enzymes from fruits and veggies.

As with other ingredients make sure to avoid foods that contain ones your Mastiff is allergic to.

Ingredients and Brands to Avoid in Mastiff Dog Food

These are some of the most important ingredients to avoid when picking dog food for Mastiffs:

Fillers

This includes ones like corn, wheat, and soy. It’s not that these ingredients are unhealthy for your giant dog per se.

The problem is they’re highly-processed to cut costs and significantly reduces the overall nutritional value of dog foods.

Corn Syrup

This is a sugar that’s used to add sweetness to dog food. Just like its effect on humans eating too much sugar can cause your dog to experience health issues like weight gain and diabetes.

In fact, high sugar intake can also cause problems related to your dog’s behavior like hyperactivity.

It can also affect your canine’s mental behavior, so this is another reason to avoid corn syrup.

By-Products

These are from different meat sources like chicken, fish, beef, turkey, and lamb. These are the internal remains of an animal and don’t include muscle meat.

These ingredients are cheaper but are also significantly less healthy than real meat.

Artificial Colors/Flavors/Preservatives

Unfortunately, many dog food manufacturers add these items to their dog foods to cut costs and yes, they pass on the savings to you.

However, these ingredients can cause problems for your dog’s health.
The results and be short and long-term.